Is grab-and-go on your radar this year?
Need to provide quick food for students and staff at a variety of times? Is your school installing vending machine-type coolers? Check out these ideas to make grab-and-go stations manageable for your team.
Upgrade the Prepackaged Meal Starbucks has had success with their food boxes that resemble upgraded prepackaged meals. You can easily do the same! Load it up with a hardboiled egg, fresh fruit and veg, wraps and then stock your cooler with a set amount for a few days. Go Beyond the Basics A wrapped turkey sandwich or pre-built Caesar salad are great, but if you really want to pique your diners’ interest, think outside the box. Think vegetable and goat cheese panini, orzo salad, roast beef and pimento cheese sandwich, a Mediterranean grain bowl or a taco salad. Breakfast for Lunch Eaters love breakfast at all hours of the day! Consider building pre-made yogurt parfaits for a grab-and-go fridge or a smoothie bowl if you have access to freezer storage. Pumpkin spice yogurt parfait for the fall? We’re in!
Find the Right Packaging & Signage As you get in the habit of working together to Focus on finding the write packaging and you’ll be well on your way. Make sure to consider your organization’s sustainability goals and focus on plastic-free or compostable options. Most cafeterias that have added a grab-and-go option have found that labeling is key. Diners will be on board if it is clear what their options are, so look for stickers or signs that can help them choose a delicious meal. Optimize Your Staffing Schedule Grab-and-go can be a great solution to explore if you are short on staff. It allows you to prepare food as you have people and not worry about having a bunch of hands at once during peak service time. Simply make sure the take-away coolers are stocked for the major meal times and you are prepped for the next day, and you are set.
Annelise is the Director of Marketing & Brand Stewardship at Ready Foods in Denver, Colorado. Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Annelise has spent her career making sure food sounds appetizing on paper, looks good in pictures and tastes amazing when you order it. Her day-to-day consists of working at Ready Foods to connect food service operators with ready-to-use kitchen solutions that are easy to incorporate into a kitchen flow and bring great flavor to menu items. (We also use thousands of pounds of both Hatch and Pueblo chiles each year!) Her favorite hot lunch in elementary school was always nacho day. Ready Foods Annelise McAuliffe Soares
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